Egg laying chaos, is this normal?

[georgiashens]

I have 5 hens and they all lay about every 1-2 days. Every morning at around 7am they cause a huge amount of noise. When I go out, I usually find one in a nest box and the others are trying to get into the same one, pacing around and seeming really stressed out. The noise they make in similar to the noise they make when they see a predator. Our two younger girls recently started laying and it seems that they are causing the most trouble. They have 2 large nest boxes that are cleaned out regularly and I have never had problems with anyone actually laying in them but they all want the same one I think. We are in the uk and live in the middle of two close neighbours. I’m worried about the noise because it’s just so early and constant. Once everyone lays everyone chills out but you would think we had a whole flock of roosters! Is there thing i could do or is this just something that happens? I’m thinking of adding two more nest boxes but I’m sure they will all just want the same one again…

 

[BigBlueHen53]

1. Yes, no matter how many nests you have (I have 10 for 20 hens), there will always be one favorite! It won't hurt to add an extra nest but there's no guarantee it will solve the problem.

2. Give fresh eggs to your neighbors from time to time. It may help them tolerate, overlook or even appreciate the hen squabbling noises coming from your coop.